NYU Grad Students Ratify New UAW Contract After Eight Year Struggle

[Omaha Steve]

http://laborradio.org/2015/04/nyu-grad-students-ratify-new-uaw-contract-after-eight-year-struggle/

Posted: April 9, 2015 by laborradio

By Doug Cunningham
NYU grad student employees have ratified a new labor contract covering more than 1200 workers. NYU is the only private university in the country with a unionized grad student workforce, according to the UAW. Graduate Student Organizing Committee – UAW Local 2110 is also active trying to organize other grad student workers. UAW Region 9A Director Julie Kushner says these workers didn’t back down after the George W. Bush era National Labor Relations Board stripped them of bargaining rights in 2005. For eight years they pressed NYU to recognize their union. This ratified deal with NYU doubles the starting wage of grad student workers to $20 an hour, provides a 90 percent university subsidy towards health care coverage and makes other substantial gains for the grad workers. The UAW represents more than 45,000 academic workers across the U.S.

[jwirr]

1. Finally, maybe now we can start growing the unions again. I hope.